The life and work of Oscar Hammerstein II, the ground-breaking lyricist and librettist of the American musical theater, are the subject of a new PBS documentary broadcast in March and April across the country.

Hosted by Matthew Morrison of Glee—who starred as Lieutenant Cable in Lincoln Center Theater’s recent revival of South Pacific—the documentary, Oscar Hammerstein II: Out of My Dreams, profiles the lyricist and librettist, born into a theatrical dynasty. His musicals include Show Boat, with music by Jerome Kern; and, with, composer Richard Rodgers, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. The documentary includes clips from film versions of all six, and the only video of Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza singing “Some Enchanted Evening” from the original Broadway production of South Pacific.

It also discusses Hammerstein’s work as a humanitarian and political activist, endeavors less well-known than his work in the theater. According to JoAnn Young, writer, producer and director of the documentary, Show Boat depicted racial oppression in the post-Reconstruction South, while South Pacific and The King and I explored relations between men and women of different races.

“Anna raised the consciousness of the king, who was a dictator, in The King and I. It’s the kind of story Oscar Hammerstein always loved,” Young said.

Also discussed in the documentary is Hammerstein’s speechwriting for Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson during the 1956 Presidential campaign. “Stevenson asked Oscar Hammerstein to help him with a speech--he did it secretly,” Young said.

Also included are rare footage of a 1958 television interview of Hammerstein by Mike Wallace, and an interview with Stephen Sondheim, another giant of the American musical theater, for whom Hammerstein was an artistic mentor and surrogate father. In addition, there are archival interviews with Hammerstein’s late wife, Dorothy, and their late son, James, as well as contemporary interviews with Shirley Jones and Mitzi Gaynor, stars of film versions of Hammerstein’s musicals; Hammerstein’s biographer, Hugh Fordin; and his daughter, stepdaughter and grandchildren. A grandson, Oscar Andrew Hammerstein, also served as consulting producer of the documentary, which was screened recently at the Paley Center for Media in New York.